Centerville teacher’s case gets mixed verdict

A jury in Washington county has left the fate of a Centerville teacher in doubt. Grade school teacher Tim Higbee was accused of improperly touching a girl who was in his class, a second-grader at the time. The girl’s stories at times were inconsistent, though her mother’s said she thinks she’s telling the truth even if she’s confused. The jury got the case Tuesday, and on Wednesday found Higbee not guilty of one charge of sexual abuse — but told the judge it was deadlocked on two other abuse charges. The judge declared a mistrial on the two charges the jury could not decide, which may leave the door open to another trial if the state chooses to prosecute them again. In March Higbee was found innocent on fifteen counts in an earlier trial.